The Taste Of Tobacco
by Kakeranokirei
Summary: From the day they met to he day they died, these are the lives of a certain Mihael Keehl & Mail Jeevas, also known as Mello & Matt. Has yaoi content.
1. The Boy Who Looked Like A Girl

"**Mihael."**

The blonde's head twitched slightly at the sound of his name. Still, his eyes focused on the floor, refusing to look up.

"Mihael," the voice said, the tone demanding.

"Don't call me that," he snapped. "Mihael's gone."

"Then, what do you want to be called?" the voice asked.

He took another bite of the half-eaten chocolate bar in his hand. "Not Mihael."

"Then, it's a good thing that you're here. Every orphan that comes here is given a new identity, and we make the old one simply... _disappear._"

He liked the sound of that. No more Mihael Keehl. No more of Mihael Keehl's past. Maybe he could even forget that this "Mihael Keehl" was ever him. "So, do I get to decide my new name?"

He glanced up only to see the black-haired teen shake his head in reply. "We choose for you. That way, the name won't be a result of who you are now. Instead, it will be the name you have to fulfill."

"What is it, then? And don't give me a girly-name, either. I'm not a girl."

This guy, this "L", he was called, stirred his spoon in his teacup lazily, then looked directly at the blonde. "Your name will be Mello."

He liked it, as ironic it was for him. It had a ring to it. "Mello what?"

"Just Mello." He went back to his teacup.

"Don't I get a last name?"

"No. You're only Mello, just as I am only L. Last names are as useless as real names are here."


	2. The Boy Who Loved Games

Matt had seen the kid come in before anyone else. It had been raining, so everyone else had to stay inside. When a newcomer came, they came to a separate part of Wammy's House, so that they didn't tell anyone their name on the way in. Names were important here, or rather, the lack of one.

Matt had done his usual hacking on Wammy's computer, and had been watching the camera screens to make sure no one was coming. The movement in the corner of his eye, the usually motionless screen, had alerted him, and he turned up the volume to listen in. He liked to know things that the other kids had no way of knowing. He moved the lollipop with his tongue so that it clicked on his teeth, a habit that got him focused and thinking. He wanted to observe all that he could.

The first thing he had noticed was the chocolate bar in the kid's hand, and the way the kid vigorously devoured it. The kid looked around ten, his age. He had guessed that it was a girl, but as soon as Wammy and L addressed him, he was proven wrong, which was something rarely done. He guessed that he should've seen it sooner, the way the kid was dressed in boys' clothes, but with the girls around Wammy's House, it was a common mistake.

"Mihael Keehl," Wammy said to L. "His parents were-"

The kid had nearly broke the chocolate bar in his grip. "Stop it!" He protested, his gaze still fixated on the ground.

L nodded, and took him into the cameraless room. Wammy looked to the suit that had brought him in. "Do you think he'll ever be healed?" the suit asked.

Wammy nodded. "Even if it was horrific, this environment will be good for him."

They continued on, but since there was no mention of what exactly had happened to the kid, Matt tuned them out and went back to his game. This was, after all, the reason he even bothered to hack the computer.


	3. Down Hallways

Mello was led to a room at the end of the hall. L paused in front of the last door, a look of uncertainty on his face. "This will be your room. Everyone else has a roommate, except Matt. His past roommates couldn't stand him." L kneeled down, and placed his hand on Mello's head. "I trust you can sort him out. He's a bit of a troublemaker, but he's still a nice kid."

Mello only nodded before L straightened himself back out, and opened the door. The room was a mess. Wires and computer parts littered the floor. There was hardly any room to walk. L shook his head in disappointment. "I told him to keep this clean." He sighed. "Wait here. I'll go get him."


	4. Room Mates

Level 167. He had finally made it. It had taken him two days, longer than usual, to get this far. He had to admit, this game presented a slight challenge, but nothing he couldn't overcome.

The door behind him opened, and he cursed at being too involved in his game to hear anything. L stood there, looking at him in an unpleasant way that made Matt's skin crawl. "Matt..." he said disappointedly.

He put down the controller and looked up. "I'm sorry, L?" He couldn't think of what else to say. He had been caught. If he hadn't been so into his game, he would've seen this coming.

"This isn't the first time for you, is it?"

After a moment's consideration, he shook his head, ashamed. "I like how big the screen is. It maximizes the potential gameplay." He shut off the game system, and unwired it from the screen. "I'm sorry, L," he repeated, trying to make amends and hopefully not have to do chores.

L patted his head as they left the underground room. "We'll buy you a bigger screen, so stop hacking that one."

They made their way to the rooms, Matt tripping over the cords and wires that trailed from the shoebox he kept the game system in a couple of times. When they reached the top of the stairs, Matt looked down the hall and to his room. The blonde kid he had seen earlier, Mihael, was sitting against the door. Horrified, he stopped and shook his head. "I'm not sharing my room! No way!"

L stopped, too. "Matt, you need a roommate."

"I'm doing just fine by myself!"

"There are no other rooms open."

"Let him sleep in the shed, for all I care!"

"How about you let him stay there, and I overlook the fact that your room was a disaster?"

Matt swallowed the lump in his throat. Having a messy room meant a whole week of no electronics, and tight surveillance that was hard, even for him, to crack. Plus, it included housework, something he hated. He looked toward his room once more, then sighed in defeat. "Fine."

L smiled, and began walking once more. Matt followed distantly behind him. He still didn't want a roommate, definitely one that resembled a girl.


	5. Waiting By The Door

Mello had been resting against the door, waiting for L to come back. He hadn't been sure how long he would take, so he sat down and leaned back against the door.

He had almost been asleep when the sound of footsteps alerted him. He shot up onto his feet, then looked down the hallway to see L. Further behind him, a red-haired kid that looked his age was sulking. It didn't look like he was happy with a new roommate, which was fine with him. He wasn't, either, having been an only child. He had always had a room by himself. He didn't know what it was like to share, but if this kid wasn't happy, then neither was he.

L stopped in front of him, and motioned the kid closer to him. "Mello, this is Matt. He's your new roommate. Matt, this is Mello."

It was a coincidence that both of their "new" names started with a "M". He wondered if that meant his real name was a "M", too.

Mello took an assessment of the taller kid. His red hair was disheveled, falling into his eyes. His black tee-shirt was ripped in various places, and his blue jeans were so faded that they were almost white. His hands, which were covered by gloves with the fingers sleeves cut off, held a box with wires protruding out of it. The end of a lollipop stick rolled between his lips as the kid stared at him with big, blue eyes brimming with curiosity.


	6. Ground Rules

Matt didn't like the look this kid was giving him. "Mello," he was called. What kind of name was that? It sounded like an emotion, and one this kid definitely was not. He sighed, then went over to the door and opened it. L had been right. His room was a disaster. He couldn't remember the last time he had cleaned it. He stepped over heaps of computer and game insides, until he reached the bookcase that held zillions of games and shoeboxes filled with more computer parts. He placed the shoebox in his hand next to the Adidas one, which held his new handheld console.

Mello remained at the door, not exactly sure if he could get through like Matt did without breaking anything. Matt didn't think he could do it. "Wait there," he said. He clumped together the parts, and tossed them onto the bed. Cautiously, the kid entered the room.

"How can you stand to live like that?" the kid asked.

Matt laughed to himself. How many times had he heard that one? "I'm not sure. It's just something I guess you'll get used to."

"If we're going to... _share..._ this room, then it won't be like that."

Matt scowled. He had forgotten for a second that this kid was going to live with him. "Look, _Mello."_ He grinned to himself at the fact that he knew his real name, and no one else knew. "There's going to be a few rules around here."

"Good," Mello replied, sitting on the usually empty bed. "First-"

"I make the rules."

"It's _our _room."

"It was mine first."

"That doesn't matter to me."


	7. Dinner Table Talk

It took a really long time before the rules were set. Darkness was falling outside and the dinner bell was ringing. They had established that:

No one touched Matt's stuff.

No one touched Mello's stuff... when he got some.

The room wasn't going to be a mess.

No loud noise.

Their stuff can't cross the line that they had drawn on the floor, or else it's the other's to do with however he so chooses.

When one goes to bed, they both go to bed.

Dinner was downstairs, and everyone bombarded Mello with questions.

Mello sneered and ignored them. He hated feeling new. His eyes had kept falling back to Matt, who sat by himself at a table, playing his handheld game silently while he ate.

He walked over and sat down beside him. Matt glanced up for only a second, then went back to playing his game. Mello frowned, not used to being ignored. "What game are you playing?"

"I doubt that you'd know what it is, even if I tell you," Matt replied, his gaze still on the glowing screen.

Mello watched him push buttons for a few silent minutes, then spoke up. "You should put that away."

"Why?"

"Because I'm sitting with you. It's rude."

"I'm on Level 26 on difficult for the fifth time, and another save point isn't for awhile. You'll have to wait."

Mello could feel heat rise in his cheeks. He wasn't used to being "put on hold" and he definitely didn't like it from this cocky kid. He leaned across the table, and when Matt reached up for his food, Mello moved the tray back so that his hand missed it.

Matt paused his game and looked up, confused about the whereabouts of his dinner. He saw it sitting next to Mello and raised his eyebrow to question his motives. "Why'd you do that?"

Mello smirked and bit down on his chocolate, it making a cracking sound as it broke into his mouth. "I don't like being ignored."

Matt reached across for his food, standing up to reach over the table for it, but Mello had lifted it up to a point where even Matt's long arms couldn't reach. He pouted, then sat back down in defeat. "I wasn't ignoring you."

"You were still playing your game."

"I was listening too. I can do both." He looked hungrily to his tray. "Can I have my food back now?"

Mello leered at him, then at the tray. "No, I'm hungry." He set Matt's tray down in front of him, and, setting his chocolate bar down to the side, he picked up a french fry and took a bite. He stifled a grimace at the unsweetened taste, but swallowed to spite Matt. He smiled as he watched Matt growl.

"You had a chance for a meal. You choose your chocolate, instead. Now, give me back my food." He watched him take another fry and eat it. "Come on, Mello. I'm hungry."

Mello watched the defeated look go across Matt's face, then pushed it back over after lifting his chocolate off of the tray. He didn't want to eat anymore of that stuff than he had to. "Here. I don't like it, anyway. I think I'll stick to chocolate."

Matt greedily pulled it toward him, and shoved a handful of fries into his open mouth. He turned back to his game, but the harsh look on Mello's face stopped him. "I guess... I can restart it from the last save point later. I mean, I've already beat it." His fingers reached for the power button as he shut it down.

Mello looked triumphant and actually smiled. "You don't need to bring your game anymore."

Matt grumbled, "But I like to play it when I eat," under his breath but said nothing loud enough for Mello to hear. He only nodded and continued eating, his eyes occasionally falling to Mello's supposed dinner: a king size chocolate bar. He wasn't too sure about what type of person Mello was yet, but despite the fact that he was controlling, he intrigued Matt, and Matt only wanted to learn more.


	8. Ready, Set, Go!

The next day was a Monday. Mello opened his eyes to Matt's alarm clock ringing. "Shut it off," he grumbled. "I thought we said no loud noises, especially not this early."

Matt yawned and stretched his arms into the air before reaching over and pushing in the off button. "You have to get up anyway. We have school."

"Screw school. I just got here." Mello rolled on his side. It wasn't even daylight out yet. There was no way he was setting his feet on the floor this early.

"Roger won't see it that way," Matt replied, going over to his closet and picking out another black shirt and almost white jeans. He took his blue pajama shirt off and tossed it on the ground. After a moment's consideration, he picked it up and threw it on his bed. He didn't want to get in trouble again. He had no bargaining chip this time for punishment.

"Have him come get me, then."

"It's my job as your roommate to get you there. Lessons don't take too long. The computer does it all for you. Come on. It's pretty cool." He threw on his shirt and jeans, the usual attire for the day. His eyes watched as Mello shifted position to snuggle deeper under the blankets. "Mello!" he commanded. "Come on, we don't have time for this! We're going to miss breakfast!"

"Go without me," he groaned, his voice muffled under the blankets.

Matt's eyes caught the shine of two chocolate bar wrappers in the trash. He grinned. "If you don't come, Roger won't let you have chocolate later." He assumed that Mello would also eat chocolate for breakfast, since he ate it for dinner the night before.

Mello's eyes flew open and his feet swiftly landed on the floor. He raced around, gathering his clothes and throwing them on. "Let's go, Matt! I'm not missing breakfast because of your slow butt!" He was out the door before Matt could even move forward. 


	9. Computer Lessons 101

The computer lab was packed. Mello watched as the other kids began typing on the numbers-only keypad. He looked to Roger, who stood at the front of the room guiding a black-haired girl with computer-handling tips. He wondered if she was new, too.

"You better type in your number before we have to disconnect."

Matt's voice in his ear startled him. "What?"

"Type in your number before we have to pass up the number pad."

"What number?"

Matt sighed. He had forgotten how difficult it was to be a newbie. He clicked the lollipop against his teeth, the clack making a ceramic sound. "Didn't L give you a number yesterday?"

Mello thought back to the day before when he had been sitting in L's office, watching the man try and drink his tea. There had been a number mentioned somewhere in there. "Yes," he replied cautiously.

Matt motioned to the number pad. "Type it in there. And do it quickly. We have to pass it up in fifty seconds."

Mello's fingers gently taped number after number. 2-3-1-2. He hit enter when he was done. "Now what?"

"Now, we wait...."

Roger's voice echoed through the room. "You should have entered your code by now. Everyone, disconnect from the computer and pass it to the front."

Mello followed the instructions and handed it to a blonde in front of him. "Why are we doing this, anyway?" he whispered to Matt.

Matt grinned sheepishly. "It's my fault."

"How?"

"When we had regular keyboards, I hacked into the system so that it did all the work for me while I goofed off. When they found out, they took everyone's away, and gave us the number pads and made the screen a touch-screen."

That didn't surprise Mello too much. "So why do we have to pass them up?"

"They found out that I had almost finished hacking the system a second time, only in numbers. I can't do it with no type of keyboard." Despite the fact that Matt seemed embarrassed, he also seemed accomplished. Mello didn't blame him. It was a difficult task to hack. He had tried it before, but him and technology didn't connect very well.

Matt's words reminded Mello that he was, after all, a technology geek. He should've figured it out on his own that it was Matt's fault. He sighed, and turned his full attention to the screen before him. It read, "Welcome, User Mello. Since this is your first time logging on, we will begin by taking an IQ assessment test. Please press the green button to the left side."

Mello suppressed a groan. This was going to be long and boring, he could easily tell. The questions started off "What is one plus one?" But as he progressed, he found himself actually enjoying the questions, like "Which of the following processes can occur when the temperature of a substance is increased at constant pressure?" and "What made the Election of 1824's results so controversial in the United States?"

Sometimes, it would switch back and forth between the easy and hard ones. Some of them asked questions about his daily life, such as "How many times do you shower a day?" and "What genre of books do you read? Touch all that apply, then hit the green arrow." Mello didn't see the relevance to answering the questions, but did so anyway.

A bell rang, and Matt jumped out of his seat and, along with the other kids, paced over to Roger in the front of the room. Roger was handing each kid a piece of paper with words printed on it. Mello got up and stalked over there, following their example. When he finally got to Roger, he looked at the paper in his hand. "Homework," it said in a black, bolded heading. He looked at the assignment underneath it. "Read King Lear by tomorrow. Do math and science worksheets on home computer. Due tomorrow."

He had already read King Lear, so that was one less homework assignment, but the orphanage became stranger and stranger to him. Computers that taught, everything you needed in materials, King Lear for a eleven-year-old? Not to mention L himself.

He folded up the paper and shoved it into his pocket. His eyes were looking for Matt, so he would know what to do next, but he was nowhere to be found. Instead, his eyes settled on the white-haired kid he had noticed earlier in the morning. It was hard not to notice that kid. He was pale, short, and wore all white, which matched the color of his hair, but freaked Mello out. But, Mello didn't want to do something wrong and make a fool out of himself, so he walked over to the kid.

"Hey you," he said. The white haired kid slowly turned around, and stared at him with cold, grey eyes. Mello felt a shudder race down his spine. "Hey, can you tell me what we do now? I'm new here, so..." He let his voice trail off, guessing that the kid got the message.

The kid's response was slow in reply. "I know."

Mello waited, but nothing else was said. "So... are you going to tell me?"

The kid smirked, his eyes reflecting Mello's expression, pining him down with a looked that mocked his ignorance. He cocked his head slightly to the right. "We do... our assignment...."

Mello didn't bother with a thank you. Instead, he turned around, and raced up the stairs to his room. He didn't like the kid. Not one bit. But, he would show him. He would show him who was truly superior. He wouldn't lose to that kid. This was war. No one mocked Mello and got away with it.

Matt wasn't in the room when he arrived, which surprised him. He had expected him to be lounging around, playing with one of his million games he had up on his shelf. He poked his head back out into the hall, and still didn't see Matt. He shrugged, and went over to his desk, deciding that he had nothing better than to do his assignment. L had explained that the computers were all personalized, and Matt had explained that the orphanage monitored everything you did while logged in.

The screen glowed blue as it welcomed him, and for the second time that day, he typed in his password. The home screen was one of a regular background. He glanced through multiple files until a pop-up appeared.

"New Assignment," it read. Mello scrolled over it, and pressed down on the left mouse button. It opened a file that was divided into two sections: Math and Science. Mello quickly decided to do the math first. The work was harder than the questions that the test had asked. Mello growled as he searched his brain to solve them.

He was halfway finished with the Science file when the bedroom door flew open and Matt stumbled in. Matt looked at him, surprised. "You're doing the assignment already? You know that we have all day to do it, right?"

Mello nodded. "I want to get it out of the way." He paused, then continued on. "Thanks for leaving me back there in the lab. I had no clue what I was supposed to do." He left out the part about the white-haired kid. He didn't need Matt laughing at him.

Matt grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry about that." He reached for the strap of a black bag that Mello had just noticed he had, and slid it to the ground. "I was.... playing."

"How come I think that it's much more than that?"

"Because it was." He jumped onto his bed, and stretched out. "Man, you should've seen me. I worked magic with those wires downstairs. It was... amazing."

Mello looked over, then back to the screen. "Wipe that stupid grin off your face."

"Yeah, sorry," he replied, then sat up. "Just a heads up, don't go downstairs for awhile."

"What did you do?"

Matt opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted when the bedroom door flew open and Roger stomped in and dragged Matt out by the ear, leaving Mello in slight shock.


	10. SelfDefense

Two weeks worth of dusting. He hated that punishment most of all, and somehow, Wammy knew. He didn't know how, because he acted like he hated them all equally, but Wammy knew. Matt bet that L knew, too, and L had told Wammy. But still, how would L know?

It really was just a harmless joke. It wasn't like he had entered a room that he wasn't allowed in this time, and it hadn't been serious damage. He had only set the sprinkler system to go off whenever someone turned the rec room TV on. He didn't even get to see his genius at work. They had no proof. It was unfair.

He came out of Wammy's office only to be glared at by three soaking wet children. He stifled his laughter by raising his hand up to cover his mouth so that they couldn't hear. They looked at him angrily.

"We knew it was you," one of them, Linda, snarled.

"Yeah. You're the only one who knows how to do something like that," another said. She was a twin, so Matt couldn't remember which one exactly she was, but he was almost positive that it was Adelaide.

Wizard, the only boy in the group, looked at Matt in disgust. "You're such a freak. Why don't you just leave?"

Matt snorted. "Because it's brainless idiots like you that make stuff like this," he motioned toward them and their wetness. "Fun."

Wizard shot forward, his fist raised. Matt dodged easily. "Your aim needs a little work," Matt taunted. Wizard took another shot at him, but Matt dodged it again, and hit him in the stomach. Wizard doubled over in pain.

"L!" the twin, Adelaide, yelled. "Wammy! Roger! Come quickly! Matt hit Wizard!"

L was the only one that stepped out of the room. His eyes assessed the situation, falling first on the girls, then on Wizard, who was clutching his stomach and crying, and finally, on Matt. After a few moments of uneasiness, L spoke. "What happened here?"

"Matt hit Wizard for no reason!" Linda squealed, and Adelaide quickly nodded in agreement.

L looked over to Matt. "What happened?"

Matt took a lollipop out of his back pocket, and after unwrapping it, pushed it in between his lips. Slowly, he raised his hands in the air. "I claim self-defense. Watch the tapes if you have to."

L only nodded, then turned around. The girls screeched in unison. "L, he hit Wizard! Aren't you going to do anything?"

L glanced back at them over his shoulder, then slowly shook his head. "You heard him. Self-defense."


	11. The Meeting That Changes Everything

There was a test in a week, one that Matt couldn't study for. Not that he studied anyway, but this one was more important than the stupid computer ones. In the past, he had talked to other kids and memorized the chart lines, but this time, they were switching charts between each patient. He knew that he was going to fail this time. There was simply no way around it that he could think of.

Mello could tell that Matt was conflicted over something. It had only been a week since he had arrived, but Mello had figured out that the red head was usually still in front of any kind of technology. He watched Matt fidget nervously in his seat from the corners of his eyes.

"Mello," Roger called. Mello bolted upright in his seat, not wanting him to know that he had been focused on anything not his work. He spotted L by the door, and saw him wave for him to come. Mello hesitated before standing and walking over, feeling the eyes of everyone who was in the room on him.

"I need to talk to you," L said quietly, his eyes piercing Mello's body. "We need to go upstairs to discuss certain... things."

Mello nodded and quietly followed, not too sure what there was to be discussed. He kept his eyes on the floor, nervous enough not to look up.

Wammy wasn't in his office, but L didn't seem to notice. He sat down on the couch right in front of Wammy's desk, and motioned to Mello to join him in the seat across a small coffee table covered in various papers. The seat was stiff, and Mello assumed that was because the majority of people that sat there weren't there for a social visit.

L picked up a saucer and cup that Mello hadn't noticed on the table. His eyes cascaded over the rest of the table. Papers. He spotted a bold title on one, one that nearly took his breath away. "Mihael Keehl," it read. That name.... he wasn't supposed to have it anymore. It couldn't be....

L spotted to where his eyes had fallen, then picked up something else that Mello was surprised to find that he had missed. L held out a chocolate bar, and Mello greedily snatched it up, wasting no time in unwrapping it. The first bite was sweet, exactly what he needed to calm his nerves.

Finally, L spoke. "Do you know why you're here?"

Mello looked at his given name again. "Is it.... the trial?"

L nodded, and spun his spoon around in the cup once. Mello took another bite, this one less satisfying than before. "We want to get this taken care of as soon as possible. We were lucky that they let us take you out of the country as is."

"When is it?" Mello asked, his voice slightly squeaking.

"We had it moved to Wednesday, so that you can be one more step away from "Mihael Keehl". Wammy's House has its own lawyers, so we'll use them. They are very good, some of the best, so you shouldn't be too worried about it. We'll be leaving tomorrow." L mumbled the next part under his breath, and Mello almost convulsed when he heard it. "Although, it would've been better if he had succeeded in shooting you somewhere. There'd be more evidence against him that way."

"A-Are you saying... that I might be found guilty?"

L looked up, not bothering to act surprised that Mello heard him. "Technically, you are guilty. But as to whether the court will find you guilty or not, there is a 34% chance that you will be found guilty."

Mello swallowed a lump in his throat. Thirty-four percent was still a rather high number. "I didn't have a choice! It was life-or-death!"

"But, as to if the court will see it that way.... Mello, you are a very intelligent boy, and that is a fact that the courts might take into account. It is hard to believe that four bullets were all shot in your direction, yet none of them even so much as grazed you. They might see it as a set-up."

"But that's what happened!"

"Of course it is."

"I swear! I didn't have a choice!"

L looked straight into Mello's eyes. "I believe you. I doubt that you would do it. After seeing how you interacted this week, there is a 1.3% that you did it on purpose. But, I'm not sure what the courts will see. That, we will have to wait for tomorrow. Now, go get some rest."


	12. Goodbyes

Matt looked up from his video game to see a very frazzled Mello. "Hey, what's wrong? What did L say to you?"

Mello shot him an evil glare. "I don't want to talk about it."

Matt shrugged and turned his attention back to his video game. After a few more seconds, he called out overtop of it, "This Sunday, let's do something fun."

"Why?"

"It'll be the end of the first week that you've been here. I thought we should celebrate."

"What's the point? I might not make it to Sunday."

Matt paused his game, and looked up, confused, not exactly sure that he heard that right. "What?"

Mello sat down on the edge of his bed. As bad as he didn't want to admit it, he wanted to have someone to tell. Not the whole story, but just someone who knew. "I have something to take care of tomorrow as my old identity. Depending on how that goes, I might not be able to come back to Wammy's."

Matt jumped up out of his chair. "But you just got here!"

Mello only could nod. "I know."

"But I don't want another roommate! I don't think I could tolerate anyone else!"

Mello watched him pace around the room, listing reasons as to why he couldn't leave. Truthfully, he didn't want to leave either. Even if Matt could be annoying at times, even if that white-haired freak still bugged him, he liked it here. He liked L. He liked Matt. He liked the free chocolate. Hell, he could even like Roger, just as long as he didn't have to leave. But, not the white-haired kid. He drew the line at that.


	13. Going Away Present

Matt was up early, even though it was a Saturday. He was staring at his wall with his Mario poster hung on it. He wasn't sure what he was thinking about. All he knew was that he was thinking.

Mello moved in his sleep, and whatever thought Matt had was lost. He looked over to the sleeping blonde. He didn't want Mello to leave. Mello was his first friend since coming to Wammy's House. He didn't have the people skills that Mello had, and he knew that if Mello left, it would take months, maybe even years, before he got another friend.

Matt slid his feet against the floor, and quietly crept to the door. The door didn't creak as he opened it as it usually did, and he slipped out into the hall. Right now, he didn't care if the cameras saw him. He had to do something for Mello before he left, so that he'd be sure to come back.

The kitchen cabinets were unlocked, which was unusual. That meant that he had to work fast. He spotted the box of chocolate bars in the back corner of the cabinet, behind the flour. He placed his feet on the counter, and carefully crept towards his goal.

He was one step away when he felt his feet began to slip. He reached for the cabinet's edge, but instead, touched the flour, which fell with him onto the floor. Matt cursed, flour all over him. He stood back up and shook off, then climbed back up onto the counters. He quickly grabbed the chocolate and slid off the counter, preparing to wipe up the mess when he heard a doorknob rattle. Panicking, he raced out of there, back up the stairs, and into his room.

Panting, he spotted Mello looking at him curiously. "What?" he snapped.

He looked at him, slightly amused. "Why are you whiter than usual?"

"What?"

"Your hair.... your face... everywhere. It's covered in... white stuff."

Matt rushed to the mirror. The flour had been messier than he had imagined. It covered his entire body, clinging to him desperately. "Crap."

"What is it?"

"Flour."

Mello had been holding back his laughter, but when Matt responded, he burst out laughing. "Flour? Matt, you look ridiculous! What, were you rolling around in flour, preparing to be baked?"

Matt felt slightly offended by Mello's laughter, but as he glanced back into the mirror, he had to admit that he did look pretty funny. He was his own ghost. He started to laugh, too.

"What were you doing?"

Matt reached under his shirt and pulled out the box, finding delight as Mello's eyes lit up. "I stole this for you. But, you can only have it if you promise to come back."

"I don't know if I will."

"Just promise me you'll try."

"Of course I'll try." Matt walked over and stuck out his pinky, but Mello pushed it away. "No way am I touching you."

"Come on, Mello. Just pinky promise."

"You're dirty."

"It's only flour. Don't be such a girl."

Matt grinned as Mello's face flared and he stuck out his pinky, angrily replying. "I am NOT a girl. Now, are we going to do this or not?"

"Yeah," he said, hooking his pinky with Mello's.

Mello quickly pulled away, wrinkling his nose as the flour was now attached to his finger. He reached for the chocolate, and, staring at his untouched chocolate, he quietly said "Thanks."

"No problem. Anything for a friend," he beamed.


	14. Weekday Blues

This was not a good week for Matt. First, Mello had disappeared Saturday, and still hadn't returned. Matt still didn't know if he even would return, because L hadn't come back, either. Second, Matt was now sporting a pair of large, wire-rim glasses. He wasn't sure which was worse.

He wasn't too into Final Fantasy VII, even though he had finally obtained it. Every time he tried to look at the TV screen, he'd see Mello leaving in the black car and him left standing by the road. He had never felt so helpless before in his life. And if he could help it, he never would again.

He threw the controller at the screen in frustration. It didn't clear the images out of his head, but it did hit the glass and bounce off loudly. He cursed, and stomped over to the door. The new kid, Sketch, stood outside it, hand raised as if to knock, a shocked expression on his face. "H-Hey," he stuttered.

Matt suppressed a groan. For some odd reason, the younger boy was determined to follow Matt's every movement. He thought Matt was the greatest thing ever, and as cool as that was, this kid was borderline stalker. He had even wanted to move into his room, the nerve of the kid. He would only share his room with Mello.... when he came back. Matt was sure that Mello would come back. He had to. Matt had so much new stuff to tell him about, like his punishment for getting him chocolate, or the eye test, or the new software program he was working on, even about Sketch. "What do you want?"

"I wanted us to pull a prank together." He entered into the room, and sat down on the floor. The first day, he had entered and sat down on the empty bed besides Matt's, and Matt had flipped out. Now, he knew that he wasn't ever allowed on the bare side of the room. It had belonged to some kid named Mello. Sketch didn't know who exactly Mello was, but he sure envied the guy, having Matt's devotion like that.

"First, if I pull a prank, I work alone. There is none of this "we" crap. Second, I don't feel like it."

Sketch's eyes moved over the room, falling shortly on the discarded controller. "Are you stuck in the game?"

"No, I'm never stuck. Now, goodbye, Sketch." Matt pointed toward the door.

"Awww," Sketch cried. "I just got here, Matt. I want to hang out more."

"I don't feel like it today," Matt hastily replied, leaving out the part that he never felt like it. "Now, leave."

"Why don't we go down to the common room together? I heard there's this new kid-"

"Leave, Sketch!"

Sketch stood up, but that was as far as he got. He didn't plan on leaving yet, no matter how mad Matt became at him. "And this kid," he continued. "He's weird looking. I almost-"

"Sketch, now!"

"-Mistook him for a girl."

Matt's anger turned to curiosity, unsure of if he heard right. "What?"

Sketch smiled, finally having Matt's attention. "The new kid. He looks like a girl."

Matt remembered the first time he had seen Mello, and flew out the door and down the stairs before Sketch could even blink.


	15. Welcome Home

He hadn't changed much, dressed in his usual all-black outfit with his nicely-groomed blonde hair. The only new thing was that he kept gripping a red rosary tightly in his hand as kids asking him questions surrounded him. The only thing missing was his chocolate bar. For some reason, Matt had thought that he would return as a different person.

He made his way through the crowd to the front, his eyes locking with his green ones. There was a small sign of shock on his face, and then relief. "Mello," he breathed.

Mello grabbed him by the shirt, and whispered in his ear, "Get me out of here. I need chocolate badly."

Matt resisted a smile as they shoved their way to the outside, and headed for the kitchen. Matt opened the pantry door and took out the brand-new box of chocolate bars from its new location, and placed them in Mello's hands. Mello wasted no time tearing into the box, cardboard flying to the ground. He waited until he had taken the first bite before speaking to him. "You're back."

Mello nodded. "Barely."

"What do you mean?" Matt hoped that he didn't mean that he was leaving again.

Mello saw the worry of his face, and shook his head. "It's not what you're thinking. I'm saying that I barely made it back. I was one-vote away from being locked up."

"Locked up? Votes? Mello, what happened?"

He had forgotten that Matt didn't know anything, and had said too much. "Forget it."

"Forget it?" Matt's voice grew angry, and he clenched his fists together tightly. "Forget it? You almost didn't make it back. I almost just lost my best friend. I can't just "forget it", Mello. Tell me what happened."

"Not now, okay?" Matt's anger surprised him. He had never seen him so mad before. But, he couldn't tell him. That part was done with. It was lost forever. He decided to change the subject. "Nice glasses."

Matt looked down, a blush across his face. He had been so excited that Mello was back that he had forgotten to take them off. He quickly swiped them off his face, and hid them behind his back. "I don't need them."

"Then, why have them?"

"The stupid nurse says that I can't see far away, but I can see just fine," he pouted.

"Then why is it that you squint when you're in the computer lab when someone new walks in?" Mello teased.

Matt's blush deepened. He hadn't known that Mello had noticed that. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted.

"Hey, Matt. I finally found you. You just flew out of the room. I didn't know where you went."

"Sketch," he seethed as the black-haired kid entered the kitchen. His eyes flew to Mello, who was glancing back at him, confused.

"Who's this kid?" Mello asked, taking another bite out of his chocolate.

Sketch turned toward him. "Hey, you're that new kid. The name's Sketch. This here is Matt." He motioned toward the angry boy's direction. "He's my best friend."

Mello glared at Matt. "Best friend, huh?"

Matt noted the perturbed sound in his voice, and shook his head. "He's delusional. Since day one that he came, he's been following me around like a lost puppy." When he saw that he didn't believe him, he added, "I swear, Mello."

"Mello?!" Sketch exclaimed. "The Mello?"

Mello nodded. "You know who I am?"

"Of course I do! You're Matt's roommate! He talks about you all the time."

Matt blushed, and looked to the floor. "Shut up, Sketch. Don't you have homework to do?"

"I'll do it later," Sketch replied. "It's not everyday that I get to talk to someone as important as Mello."

"See? I told you he's delusional."

"Hold on," Mello replied. "I kinda like this kid." He turned to face Sketch. "So I'm important?"

"Anyone who shares a room with Matt is important," Sketch replied, a tinge of jealousy in his voice.

Mello turned back to Matt. "On second thought, let's get the hell outta here."

Matt followed Mello up the stairs to their room. He laughed when Sketch tried to follow them inside, but Mello slammed the door shut in his face and locked it. Matt jumped onto his bed. "God, that kid's annoying."

Mello laid on his own bed, his eyes cast on the ceiling. "What's up with him? Worshipping you instead of me?"

Matt laughed. "Trust me. You wouldn't want that to happen." He motioned to the rosary Mello's fingers were tangling themselves in. "Where'd you get that?"

Mello fell silent for a few moments, then replied, "My mother."

"Is that who you went to go see?"

Mello shook his head. "I'm at an orphanage, right?"

Matt shrugged. "My parents are still living. At least, I think they are."

Mello turned so that he could read the expressions on Matt's face, to see if he was being serious or not. "Then, why are you here?"

"I... don't know. I guess my parents just didn't want me. That's why they left me here."

"Does L know?"

"What doesn't L know? He was the one who found me... or so I'm told."

"So you've been here since day one?"

"For as long as I remember, but not since day one." Trying to change the subject, he turned his attention back to Mello's sudden disappearance and rearrival. "So, are you here for good, or are you leaving again?"

"For good, luckily."

Matt waited for him to continue, but when he didn't, he asked him another question. "So, are you ever going to tell me what happened last week?"

"Someday, but not right now. I'm tired."

"That's bull."

"I know, but you should still shut up."

Matt eyed him suspiciously as he rolled over to face the wall, then sighed and moved to his previously paused game. He figured that when Mello trusted him enough, he'd tell him.


	16. Broken Glasses

Matt groaned as Mello literally pushed him out the door into the courtyard. "It's cold," he complained.

"Deal with it," Mello spat.

"It's too bright. I think my eyes are going to burn in their sockets."

"That's not my problem."

"I think I'm going to hurl."

Mello pointed off to the left. "Do it over there."

"I hate it out here." After Mello refused to answer him, Matt sighed in defeat. "Why are we out here again?"

"Because I want to play football."

"Can't you find someone else to play with?" It was rare for Matt to suggest Mello playing with someone else, but he REALLY didn't like it outside. He'd rather be inside, curled up on his bed, playing his handheld. Outside was never his thing.

Mello looked around. "There's no one else out here."

"That's because they have some brains," Matt mumbled under his breath.

"Are you saying I don't?" Mello yelled at him, throwing the black and white ball at his head. The ball hit him in the face, a loud cracking sound beneath the ball. As the ball fell away, so did Matt's glasses, or rather, what were once Matt's glasses.

Matt scrambled around on the ground, picking up the broken pieces. "Oh crap! Roger's going to kill me!" Mello pointed and laughed at the sight of Matt's squashed face, imprints on his nose where his glasses had once been.

Matt glared up at him. "This is your fault!"

"You shouldn't have said that I was dumb!" Mello retorted, picking up his ball from the ground.

"You're right. I should've said you were an idiot!"

"That's it!" Mello lifted Matt off the ground by his shirt, despite the fact that Matt was five inches taller than him. "No one calls me an idiot and gets away with it!"

Matt smirked, not at all feeling threatened by the blonde. "Well, I just did. So, what are you going to do about it?"

Matt had seen Mello fight before, but it was usually with other kids. He knew that Mello could fight, that he never came out with a scratch after a fight, but Matt had faith in his own strength. He didn't get into fights often, but he could always pull his weight in one. When Mello pulled back his fist, Matt pushed him away and ducked out of its reach... or so he thought. The blow landed right in his nose. There was a sickening crunch that followed.

Matt didn't even give it a second thought though, as he grabbed Mello and slammed him against the ground, Mello struggling underneath him. One of Mello's punches landed on the side of his body, but Matt responded by uppercutting him till he was sure that Mello was going to be sick. Mello laid there, still, as Matt struggled to his feet. But as he rose, Mello grabbed his ankles, pulling him into the dirt. Matt managed to gasp a few words as Mello's hands went around his throat. "You fight like a girl," he laughed, watching Mello's temper flare even higher.

As Matt landed another blow into Mello's stomach and watched him double over in pain, Roger and Wammy rushed out and roughly grabbed the two boys by the collar of their shirt, pulling them away from each other.


	17. Punishment

"Explain to me again why you two were fighting?" L's annoyance at the matter was obvious in his tone. He didn't like being dragged away from his work.  
"Matt called me an idiot," Mello huffed, glaring over at the redhead.  
"That's it? Nothing else?"  
"He broke my glasses, so I figured it was classified as self-defense," Matt explained, trying to make himself be less guilty. Really, it was all that stupid Mello's fault. If they hadn't gone out there in the first place, none of this would've happened. His hands itched for his Gameboy.  
L sighed unhappily and stood to his feet. Both of the boys shot up, eager to hear the punishment the other would get into. "Matt... no more games for a month."  
Mello's body shook with laughter as a look of horror crossed Matt's face. "L, you can't be serious! I was only protecting myself!" he protested, his face turning white. He couldn't imagine it. Already, he was having withdraw symptoms from them. "Please L, anything but that!"  
L shook his head. "I've decided." Mello's expression was that of triumph, but as L turned toward him, his face fell, knowing that now it was time for his punishment. Sure enough, L spoke up. "Mello, your punishment will be no chocolate for a month, and you have to replace Matt's glasses with your own money."  
Now it was Mello's turn to protest. "I'll starve! And where am I supposed to get money from?"  
"You can earn money by doing chores around the House. And as for food, eat something else."  
"I can't eat anything else! Chocolate is my life!"  
L's eyes turned cold toward him. "This is the fifth fight these past five weeks. I had to do something drastic. Maybe next time, you'll learn."  
"What about me?" Matt asked. "I haven't gotten into a fight recently. Why do I have to suffer?"  
L shrugged his shoulders. "You probably did something wrong recently that I haven't found out about."  
"That's not fair!"  
L shifted all of his weight onto one foot. "I'm L. I'm always fair."


End file.
